PreZero: Strategic Cooperation with BMW for End-of-Life Vehicle Recycling in Europe

From left to right: Ronald Bornée (Head of Business Development and Sales, PreZero Germany), Carsten Dülfer (CEO, PreZero Germany), Ralf Hattler (Senior Vice President, Customer Support and Aftersales, BMW Group) & Alexander Efthimiou (Senior Vice President, Business Development, BMW Group) – (Image: PreZero)

The BMW Group and the environmental services provider PreZero (Schwarz Group) have agreed on a strategic cooperation to promote the circular economy within the European automotive industry. The cooperation agreement was signed at the IPAI (Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence) campus in Heilbronn. The aim of the collaboration is to develop a viable business model for the recovery of end-of-life vehicles and to establish closed material and recycling loops.

The focus of the cooperation is the use of end-of-life vehicles as a strategic material source. Through the systematic reuse of vehicle components, these are to be kept in the cycle for as long as possible. In addition, innovative recovery and recycling processes are to be developed and brought to series production readiness in order to obtain high-quality secondary raw materials for industrial reuse. In this way, the demand for primary raw materials is to be reduced, and raw material dependencies and risks in the supply chains are to be minimized.

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The partnership is part of the BMW Group's long-term corporate and decarbonization strategy. The circular economy is understood as an integral part of the value chain to reduce CO2 emissions and use resources more efficiently. For PreZero, the cooperation builds on existing activities in the field of battery and vehicle recycling and aims to develop scalable solutions for the automotive industry that combine ecological and economic requirements.

The basis of the cooperation is an intensive transfer of knowledge along the entire value chain. The BMW Group contributes its competencies from "Design for Recycling," experiences from its own recycling and dismantling center, and knowledge of materials and manufacturing. PreZero complements this with expertise in European material flows, sorting and recycling technologies, and battery recycling. Together, new approaches in material flow management are to be developed and efficient recovery processes established.

The cooperation aims to systematically expand the reuse and high-quality recycling of materials such as steel, aluminum, plastics, and battery raw materials. It is in line with the European Union's goals to strengthen the circular economy and increase the resilience and competitiveness of the European automotive industry.

More information: prezero-international.com, www.bmwgroup.com

PreZero Stiftung & Co. KG, Neckarsulm

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